Branding: Honestly Margo

What were you doing when you were 12? I was probably drawing absurd fashion sketches, rollerblading, and being obsessed with Jonathan Brandis, of Sea Quest. I am pretty sure I didn’t have any ideas about starting a business, which is why I was SO impressed when I received a message from Margo Gianos, a 12-year old girl from OKC who was looking to start a business selling her handmade all-natural lip balm. Tim was equally impressed with her organization & plucky spirit, and convinced me to take the project.

I met with Margo and her mother Irene and found two energetic souls, brimming with ideas and ready to make their brand a reality. I spent a lot of time talking with Margo about her voice and what she wanted from her brand, and we all worked through a naming strategy session where we decided on HONESTLY MARGO. In my head, I always imagine Margo messing up the kitchen with all her experiments and then her mom coming in and saying, “HONESTLY, Margo!”

Margo & Irene hired a local photography & videography team (another husband & wife duo!) CHOATE HOUSE to do all the promotional images as well as the brand video for this project. We were SO impressed by their work and how they took everything we created for Margo’s brand story and made it come alive. So impressed, in fact, that they’ve become our go-to resource for our local branding projects. Check out the fantastic work they did for HONESTLY MARGO

Because of Margo’s unique business, we decided to forego the products I usually include in branding (letterhead etc.), and instead swapped them for labels for her products. Her first set of all-natural lip balm flavors are named FIONA, PENELOPE, and JULIET… also known as: Fruity Colada, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Caramel Apple. You can find these products at these retail locations:

Cayman’s – Norman, OK
Plenty Mercantile – Oklahoma City, OK
Luxe Objects – Oklahoma City, OK
blue seven – Oklahoma City, OK
The B. Hive – Gainesville, TX
Pumpkin & Bean – Englewood, NJ
Sweet Spot – Cresskill, NJI have to say that the best part of this process was embracing Margo & Irene’s unabashed love of COLOR. These two have a lot of brightness in them, and it was so much fun finding the way to communicate that in the colors & design.